Category Archives: Web Redesign

Technology, Web Redesign

New Library Search Platform Will Launch On May 11

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Search box displayed on Library Search page

On Monday, May 11, we will launch the new Library Search platform providing a unified system for finding print and online materials from Duke University Libraries’ local collections and library licensed online resources. Library Search will replace our existing Books & Media Catalog and our separate Summon-based platform used to search for Articles, eBooks, and Online Journal Titles.

What’s new?

  • You will be able to narrow or expand your search in different ways:
    • Everything: Combines Duke University Libraries’ local collections with millions of library-licensed online resources
    • Books & Media (Catalog): Duke University Libraries’ local collections of print and electronic books, journals, videos, scores, and more
    • Articles & Online Resources: Millions of library-licensed articles, eBooks, and other online resources
    • Rare Books & Manuscripts: Items held in the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library and University Archives
    • Course Reserves: Items held at Perkins Library, Lilly at Bishop’s House, Music Library, and the Medical Center Library to support courses in the current term
  • The “Everything” search dropdown will let you search electronic resources and local collections at the same time
  • It is easier to expand your results beyond Duke to discover online resources that are not included in Duke’s collections or licensed resources
  • Your Library Account will be integrated into Library Search, allowing you to save selected records or searches for easy access later

View of records saved to a patron's account

What’s different?

  • You will need to sign in to Library Search to request items from our general collections; items in the Rubenstein Library and University Archives will continue to be able to be requested without signing in first.
  • Library Search does not include the option to view search results from libraries at UNC, NCSU, or NCCU; instead, you’ll use WorldCat Discovery to find items that Duke does not have.

What happens on May 11?

During the morning of May 11, we will launch the new Library Search platform. During that timeframe, we will implement URL redirects from our old Books & Media Catalog and our Summon-based Articles, eBooks, and Online Journal Titles search platform to our new Library Search system. Library staff will also update links and search boxes on various library websites at Duke. These changes will take several hours to complete.

Why are we implementing this new system?

Library Search is Duke University Libraries’ implementation of Primo, a product from Ex Libris, in use by many of our peer institutions. Because Primo integrates fully with Alma (the system we use to maintain our library catalog data), we’ll be able to add and update records more efficiently than with our current systems, improving our ability to meet user needs.

Technology, Web Redesign

New Library Search Platform Coming in May

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Screenshot of new catalog interface showing the search box and the name Library Search

In May 2026 Duke University Libraries will implement a new patron-facing discovery interface replacing our existing Books & Media Catalog and our separate Summon-based platform currently used to search for Articles, eBooks, and Online Journal Titles. The new discovery interface, which we will be calling Library Search, will provide a unified system where you can find items from both our physical collections and our subscribed eResources. This new Library Search platform is based on Primo, a product from Ex Libris. See the University of Toronto Libraries and the British Library as examples of a library already using Primo.

Why we are implementing Primo

Primo is a vended application that integrates fully with Alma, the platform we use to maintain our library catalog data, and is well supported by staff at Ex Libris. Because Primo is integrated with Alma, we’ll be able to add and update records more efficiently than with our current systems, improving our ability to meet user needs.

We began working on this project in October 2025 and anticipate launching the new Primo-based Library Search platform in early May 2026. We will share more information with Library patrons as we get closer to the launch date, including an overview of key differences and tips on how to use the new system.

Announcement, Lilly Library, Music Library, Rubenstein Library, Services, Technology, Web Redesign

Bento Searching Is Here!

bento graphic 600x360
The new “Bento Box” approach to displaying library search results on our website takes its name from the popular and often elaborately prepared Japanese lunches.

Starting today, if you search for a book, article, film, or other library resource on our website, you may notice something different.

We’ve changed the way search results appear in the library catalog, subdividing them into different groups according to the type of media (books, articles, images, etc.) and related tools and services (library research guides, library website links, and other resources). If you search for “Civil War women soldiers,” for example, you don’t just get results for books we have on that subject, but also links to related scholarly articles, images of women in the Civil War from databases and digitized archival collections, links to historical documents in the Rubenstein Library, helpful research guides, and more.

This unified approach to displaying and segmenting search results is commonly referred to as the “Bento Box” method, because of its resemblance to the popular and often elaborately prepared Japanese lunch boxes. It is designed to provide a quick, easy, and more intuitive way to find the information you need.

Bento searching was pioneered by our library colleagues down the road at NC State, and it has started catching on at other libraries around the country. It has the benefit of helping users gain quick access to a limited set of results across a variety of resources, services, and tools, while providing links to the full results.

We made an announcement about rolling out Bento over the summer. But in fact we’ve been developing, testing, and documenting our progress for over a year, and we greatly appreciate all the feedback our users have given us along the way. Your input has helped us design a better, simpler, more intuitively organized search interface for Duke students, faculty, and researchers.

Don’t like it? You also have the option of setting your default search options on our homepage if you find that Bento searching doesn’t meet your needs. Just click on the little gear icon on the bottom left corner of the search box on the library homepage. If you spend more time searching for journal articles rather than books, you can set “Articles” as your preferred search tab, and it will appear as the default every time you visit our site. You can change and customize your default search settings at any time.

Make My Default Search
Use the gear icon to change your default search to Articles, Books & Media, or All.

So give it a spin and let us know what you think! Use our feedback form to tell us how we’re doing or report a problem or issue.

Announcement, Lilly Library, Music Library, Technology, Tips and Tricks, Web Redesign

Customized Searching and Other Website Updates

Make My Default Search
Use the gear icon to change your default search to Articles, All, or Our Website.

We’ve received a lot of great feedback since we launched our redesigned library website earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t benefit from a few tweaks. Our website team has been working on some small but helpful changes, based on web metrics, usability testing, survey feedback, and suggestions from YOU!

The first change you might have noticed is the little gear icon in the bottom left corner of the search box. Clicking on the gear allows you to set your personal default search preference. If you spend more time searching for journal articles rather than books, you can set “Articles” as your preferred search tab, and it will appear as the default every time you visit the library homepage. You can change the setting at any time. (The gear works with browser cookies, so if you clear your cache, you will have to reset it.)

Another addition, implemented at the request of many users, is the addition of a website search box in the upper right corner of the masthead. This makes it easier to search our website and find information about the Libraries.

Research Commons
The new Research Commons page explains what you can expect from the renovations in Bostock.

With the announcement about the upcoming construction of the Research Commons on the first floor of Bostock Library, we also added a page about that project, including a timeline, FAQs, sketches of the new layout, and more. You can find it by clicking on “Research Support” in the header of our website and following the “Research Commons” link in the drop-down menu.

We are continually refining and testing our redesigned website, and we greatly appreciate all the feedback our users have given us along the way. Your input (and patience) has helped us create a better, simpler, more intuitively organized library site for all Duke students, faculty, and researchers. If you have additional suggestions for improvement, or to report a problem with our website, let us know!

Announcement, Services, Technology, Web Redesign

Redesigned Library Website: A Brief Interlude

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Our newly redesigned website will be right back after this short break!
Our newly redesigned website will be right back after this short break!

Good things come to those who wait. For those who appreciate a little delayed gratification, we’re pushing back the launch of our redesigned library website by a couple of weeks.

Here’s why. After soft-launching on October 14 during Duke’s Fall Break, we quickly discovered some unexpected problems with people accessing their library accounts through the new site. Rather than cause any undue delays or frustration for our patrons, we decided to leave the old site in place until we could do more extensive testing and resolve the technical issue. We will re-launch the new site by the end of this month, once the problem is fixed.

During this brief intermission, you can still explore the prototype of the redesigned library website on our development server and let us know what you think. We want to thank our library users again for your patience and apologize for any inconvenience to those who reported trouble accessing their library accounts yesterday. Everything should be working normally now.

For more about the library website redesign, check out some of our previous blog posts. And keep an eye out for the unveiling of our new and improved (and fully functioning) website later this month.

Just for Fun, Services, Technology, Web Redesign

A Brief Excursion in the Wayback Machine

Here in the Duke University Libraries, we’re excited about unveiling our redesigned website next Monday, October 14. If you haven’t already tried out the prototype, you can give it test-drive on our development server.

But before we launch the new site, we thought it would be fun to take a little trip in the Wayback Machine and reminisce about just how far we’ve come. This isn’t our first redesign rodeo, after all.

So join us as we surf back in Internet Time and explore…

 

Our Library Website Through the Years
(with real archived links!)

 

1997
J. K. Rowling publishes first Harry Potter book, Titanic hits theaters, Hong Kong becomes part of China again, Princess Diana dies—and our website wins a “Best of the Web” award!

Click on the image to go straight back to 1997!
Click on the image to go straight back to 1997!

 

 

2001
Gladiator wins Best Picture, Ravens win Super Bowl, Duke Men’s Basketball wins NCAA Championship, 9/11 attacks, Enron files for bankruptcy—and we get Wifi in the library!

Click on the image to back to 2001!
Click on the image to go straight back to 2001!

 

 

2004
Facebook launches, Ronald Reagan dies, Lance Armstrong wins sixth Tour de France, Red Sox win World Series, Richard Brodhead becomes president of Duke—and we launch a redesigned library website!

Click on the image to go straight back to 2004!
Click on the image to go straight back to 2004!

 

 

2008
Large Hadron Collider begins operations, U.S. Stock Market plunges, Coach K leads U.S. men’s basketball to gold in Beijing Olympics, Barack Obama elected President—and we released the first mobile version of our website!

Click on the image to go straight back to 2008!
Click on the image to go straight back to 2008!

 

Stay tuned for the next chapter in our online history, going live October 14!

Announcement, Services, Technology, Web Redesign

Redesigned Library Website: Give It a Test-Drive!

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Click on the screenshot to see the new Duke University Libraries website (Duke on-campus access only).
Click on the screenshot to see the new Duke University Libraries website.

As we’ve mentioned here before, we’re getting ready to launch our redesigned Duke University Libraries website on October 14, during Duke’s Fall Break.

We’ve been documenting and testing our process for the better part of a year, and we greatly appreciate all the helpful feedback and comments our users have given us along the way. Your participation has made the process smoother and helped us make better-informed decisions about the design and functionality of our new site. Thank you!

With October 14 less than a week away, we’re ready to let the Duke community take our new website for a spin. We’re still tweaking some things and ironing out a few glitches, but we think it’s ready to share. Here’s a preview link on our development server: http://libcms.oit.duke.edu/

(Note: This is a temporary link. Our new site will publicly go live at library.duke.edu on October 14. All old URLs will be redirected to new ones.)

In our last post about the website redesign, we covered some of the major search and navigational differences between the old site and the new one. Here are a few additional improvements you may notice.

1. More emphasis on the search box.
Library websites are different from other university websites. This isn’t just our virtual face to the world. It’s a multifunctional tool, as well as the primary way most of our users “go to the library” and get to our resources. You’ll notice that the search box is larger and designed in a way to help you get the information you need more quickly, with fewer distractions on the page.

2. Easier access to important functions.
We’ve added a “Quick Links” section on the homepage to emphasize important information and answers to frequently asked questions. You’ll also notice that “My Accounts” is linked consistently in the header throughout the site. This takes you to a page where you can login to all of your library accounts in one place, from renewing books and viewing hold requests, to interlibrary loan and document delivery, to requesting materials from the Rubenstein Library.

3. Better integration with our physical space.
This is one new addition we think our students will really appreciate. Duke’s campus libraries are popular places. Study space is in high demand. With that in mind, we’ve created a new “Places to Study” page featuring a comprehensive list of library study spots on both East and West Campus. There are photos of study rooms and descriptions of their features. You can even filter study spaces by location, electrical outlets, nearness to coffee, etc. We’ve also made it easier to reserve a study space or meeting room with the click of a button.

4. New individual library homepages.
We’ve made significant updates to the homepages of our individual campus libraries, including Lilly, Music, the Marine Lab Library, the Library Service Center, and the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. For Lilly and Music, we’ve also added search boxes to make it easier to find materials housed in those locations.

Screenshot of the new Rubenstein Library homepage. (Duke access only)
Screenshot of the new Rubenstein Library homepage.

5. Easier access to international research and services.
Want to find materials on specific countries, like France, China, or Canada? Or perhaps schedule a one-on-one consultation with a subject or language expert? Click on our interactive International Resources map and see what resources and services we have available for different regions of the globe.

New interactive International Research page (Duke access only).
New interactive International Research page.

6. More personalized help.
We’ve revamped our list of librarians and subject experts to make it easier for you to find someone who knows your field and can answer questions about particular topics.

7. Enhanced searchability.
We’ve already talked about the redesigned search box on the homepage. But we also added some functionality to the website search in the header on every page. By using the drop-down button, you can search for books, articles, or all library materials without having to go back to the homepage.

8. Less jargon.
We’re librarians. We love acronyms, proper names, and technical terminology. But we recognize that not everyone else speaks librarianese. To that end, we’ve made a conscious effort to edit all of our site content for greater clarity, simplicity, accuracy, and web-friendliness. We hope it helps.

Again, take it for a spin and let us know what you think! And mark your calendar for October 14, when our new site officially goes live!

Announcement, Web Redesign

New Library Website Launching on October 14

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After months of development and user testing, we are making final preparations to launch the new Duke University Libraries website on October 14, during Duke’s Fall Break. More user-friendly, easier to navigate, and intuitively organized, our redesigned site comes with additional features we think our patrons will appreciate—because they asked for them! You can take a peek at our new homepage design now.

Screenshot of new hompage.
New Duke Libraries website homepage. Click to enlarge.

Notable differences from our current website are based on usage data and patron feedback. They include:

  • My Accounts link at the top of every page
  • Updates to the tabbed search box on our homepage
    • “Books & More” becomes our default search tab scoped to a search of our catalog
    • We are bringing back the “Articles” tab
    • The “All” tab is still there for those who want to search our collections broadly, but it’s no longer the default
    • Our website search box is now included as a tab on the homepage
    • Other key search tools are in the ribbon just below the tabbed search box
  • Site navigation via drop-down menus at the top of every page
Screenshot of drop down menu
The drop down menu provides quick access to links throughout the website. Click to enlarge.

We are also adding search pages that will make it easier for you to find your favorite items in our collections, such as film and video or eBooks.

Screenshot showing the Film & Video search page.
New search pages make it easier to find some of your favorite items. Click to enlarge.

Content throughout the site is being updated to be more current and easier to read. Also new: the entire website has been responsively designed, so it automatically adjusts to different screen sizes, from large computer monitors to smart phones.

We began this group effort a year ago with over 70 library staff plus countless undergraduates, graduate students and faculty who use the Duke Libraries website. It would take a long time to thank everyone who has made contributions to this project through their feedback, research, user assessment, data analysis, planning, designing, coding, and content writing and editing. Their thoughtful work will result in a library website that is just as welcoming and easy to use as our physical stacks and reading rooms.

Next week, we will provide a link with preview access to the site along with a more detailed description of how the new site is different from the old one. So stay tuned…

Web Redesign

Website Redesign Portal Mockups

We’re on pace for launching our redesigned library website this fall. We will go live on October 14, 2013 (during fall break), but you can get a sneak peek now at some of the main “portal” pages we’re working on. Let us know how we’re doing!

Library Homepage

Homepage Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)
Homepage Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)

Features

  • Emphasis on searching
  • Vertical tabs for searching different kinds of resources (Books & More, Articles, All, Our Website)
  • Five quick links on right for common requests
  • Global navigation in the masthead

David M. Rubenstein Library

Rubenstein Library Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)
Rubenstein Library Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)

Features:

  • Visual panels showing diverse collecting areas
  • Vertical tabs for searching the catalog, collection guides (a.k.a. finding aids), or digitized collections
  • Buttons in upper-right for logging in (to Aeon special collections request system), and for contacting Rubenstein Library staff.

Lilly & Music Libraries

Rubenstein Library Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)
Rubenstein Library Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)
Rubenstein Library Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)
Rubenstein Library Mockup. Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)

Features:

  • Tabbed search boxes to support common research needs (e.g., search for Scores at Music Library)
  • Simpler design with fewer links, emphasis on the key areas

Questions or comments about these designs? Leave us your feedback in the comments section below.

Web Redesign

Visual Mockups for Our New Website

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Our website redesign project is progressing quickly! We’ve taken everything we’ve learned from assessing our information architecture blueprints and our lo-fi wireframes, and have created a few visual mockups of simple interior pages that we’re ready to share for feedback.

The Designs

Our designs strive for a more modern look than our current site, and a closer resemblance to the main Duke website. While these versions use a common color palette, the main differences lie in the weight of the masthead, the way the pages are framed, and the fonts that are used within.

Design 1
Design 1

Design 1: Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)

Design Two
Design Two

Design 2: Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)

Design Three
Design Three

Design 3: Click to Enlarge Image or See Interactive Version (Duke IPs only)

Megadropdown Navigation

In the interactive designs (Duke IPs only), you’ll see the submenus drop down when mousing over the global navigation options in the masthead. The images within are likely just temporary placeholders.

megadrop-libraries

 

megadrop-about

 

 

Responsive Design

Since we know an increasing percentage of our website traffic comes via mobile devices, we’re designing the site so its display is optimized in different ways depending on the size of the viewport. You can test out the responsiveness by dragging your browser window to make it narrower or wider.

design-reponsive

Technology, Web Redesign

Information Architecture Plans for the Library Website

Since we announced our website redesign project in January, we have been working hard to plan the new site. We’re doing everything we can to ensure that http://library.duke.edu will clearly reflect our many services and resources, will be easy to understand, and will connect you quickly to the information you’re looking for.

Here’s our “information architecture” blueprint for the new site. It’s a birds-eye conceptual view; it certainly doesn’t represent all of our pages and is still under review, but it shows how we’ve chosen to organize and label the main parts of the site.

lib-ia-1.3.1-20130311

Here are the main improvements over the current architecture.

  • Navigation. We’ll have a clear main menu (“global navigation”) that will persist at the top of our pages throughout the site. Our six main areas will be:
    • Search & Find, Using the Library, Research Support, Course Support, Libraries, and About Us
  • Organization. Our most important pages will be organized under one of the six main menu items, accessible via a “megadropdown” area that will appear when you mouse-over the main menu.
  • Labels. We’re getting rid of as much library jargon as we can in the site, and will instead use natural language to make things clear.
  • Search. We’re consolidating as much as we can to make it less confusing which search box you should use to look for different kinds of information.

Data-Driven Decisions

libclicks-2011-12
Map of clicks on library homepage, 2011-12. Click to Enlarge.

searchterm-treemap-2011-12
Treemap visualization of the top 100 search terms used in website search box, 2011-12. Click to Enlarge

Our decisions about the architecture are grounded in rigorous research efforts and we continue to assess and refine the plans at every stage of the project. To date, our plans have been developed and modified based on:

• Project vision & values statements
• Usage stats for our current website
• FAQs at our service points
• Usability testing
• Reverse cardsort testing
• Search term analysis for our current website
• Analysis of comparable websites
• Literature review
• Content inventory activities
• Feedback forms
• Stakeholder discussions (especially with faculty and student groups).

What’s Next?

Over the next month, we’ll be developing and sharing visual “wireframe” mockups that will show the actual layout for the site based on our information architecture. While you won’t see colors, fonts, and photos yet, you will see some low-fidelity representations of how the pages will look. We’ll definitely be seeking your feedback on those mockups they become available.

Staying Involved

We would love to hear your feedback! Please leave your comments for us below or email them privately to me at sean.aery@duke.edu. You’ll be able to follow the project’s progress using this link. https://blogs.library.duke.edu/blog/category/web-redesign/

Announcement, Lilly Library, Music Library, Rubenstein Library, Services, Technology, Web Redesign

Welcome to Our Redesigned Library Website!

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redesigned library website launch
Click on the screenshot to visit our new library website!

Notice anything different? Our library website has a new look!

After soft-launching the site on October 14 and doing extensive back-end testing in the meantime, we’re excited to roll out the new library.duke.edu today.

We’ve been developing, testing, and documenting our website redesign for a year, and we greatly appreciate all the feedback our users have given us along the way. Your input (and patience) has helped us design a better, simpler, more intuitively organized site for Duke students, faculty, and researchers. 

Here are some highlights of what’s new and improved:

Take a look around and let us know what you think. Use our feedback form to tell us how we’re doing or report a problem or issue.

You can also share your comments and thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter.

 

Announcement, Services, Web Redesign

New Website Coming Fall 2013!

Duke University Libraries is redesigning our website to improve your online experience!

 

What will change?

We’re improving access from all devices.  The homepage, headers, footers, and navigation will undergo the following revisions:

  • Faster access to the most commonly used resources
  • Optimized display for most screen resolutions
  • Greater accessibility for users who rely on assistive software

 

Will anything remain the same?

The catalog and other search interfaces are not part of this redesign, so their functionality will remain the same. These interfaces will, however, adopt the newly redesigned headers and footers used throughout the site.

 

When will the change take place?

We are targeting Fall 2013 to launch the redesigned site.

 

After the new site is published, will I be able to get to content on the old site?

After the new site is in production, we will archive the old site in DukeSpace, the university’s open-access repository.

 

How can I get involved?

As we develop prototypes of web pages, we will post screenshots on this blog for you to review and send comments. We will also periodically test screens in-person at the Bryan Center and other campus locations. We will announce these opportunities for you to participate a week in advance so you can join us in the Bryan Center and help guide the redesign.

 

We look forward to working with you to improve our library website. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Debra Kurtz, Head of Digital Experience Services